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Why are we Rising Up!?

Rising Up! is a new organisation aiming to be a social movement. We are calling for a fundamental change of the political and economic system to one which maximises well being and minimises harm. We believe change needs to be rooted in reverence and gratitude and that confrontation through mass civil disobedience is necessary.

We have learned from other successful social movements and new ways of organising to maximise our chance of success. Any individual or group can take their own actions in the spirit of Rising Up! without seeking permission, so long as it fits to our movements "DNA". This encapsulates our Story of what is wrong and what change is needed, our Strategy and tactics and our decentralised Structure.

Because deep down we all know the dominant system we live in does not serve the majority, failing to provide even the basics of life - food, clean water, clean air, and shelter for millions of people.

Because deep down it does not serve this beautiful miracle called Planet Earth, upon which we are all dependent on and interdependent with. We are heading for a planetary Fry-up. The Alarm bells are ringing.

Because change without Compassion, without the inner, personal change, as history has shown, often leads to a repetition of the domination of the few, those with power and control of resources, over the many.

Because coming together with others, sharing our voices and our vision, is the antidote to overwhelm, despair, and powerlessness.

The current path of humanity is ecocidal, undemocratic and unjust. Corruption, vested interest, economic policies and legal frameworks maintain the status quo. Many alternatives exist but they are rarely discussed in the media, which is largely owned by establishment billionaires. Movements for change are pacified in a number of ways; they are hampered by a lack of alignment and restrained by feelings of powerlessness. Yet there is a groundswell, a longing for change, a sense of urgency.

This isn’t about “smashing the system” then starting from scratch. We can reuse and up-cycle the tools, processes and structures that we currently have, to serve all of humanity and to protect life on earth. This is about sharing and stewardship. All of us contribute positive and negative things to society. We can up our collective game by working together. A wealthy establishment has promoted an economy which serves them, in which there is “one rule for the 1% and another rule for the rest of us”. Like dealing with spoiled children, we need to lovingly reset boundaries and teach them to share! We all need to remember our connection to each other, that we are part of nature and that by working together we are irresistible!

When I speak of love, I'm not speaking of some sentimental and weak response. It would be nonsense to urge men to love their oppressors in an affectionate sense. I'm not talking about that. When I speak of love, I am speaking of the kind of love that organizes itself into a mass movement that says somehow I am my brother's keeper, and he's so wrong that I am willing to fight --and die, if necessary -- to get him right again. Martin Luther King

Our shared vision (draft) is of:

An inclusive world, where individuals are supported to express their unique gift and where we work together to support our community, to create beautiful things and to tackle the major problems of our age. Our lives will have the meaning we long for; we will uphold the best in our humanity for the greater purpose.

This implies:

A functioning democracy, where people have real agency in decision making. Devolution of power to the lowest level, with structures to facilitate decision making locally, regionally, nationally and internationally, where appropriate.

An economy designed to maximise well-being for all people and minimise harm to each other, our fellow creatures and our home planet. Policies and law focused on greater equality, localising production, reducing consumption, zero carbon and zero waste, are urgently needed.

And this needs:

A revolution, meaning a rapid change in wealth distribution and power structures, preventing rich elite from perpetuating a self-serving ideology. Our democracy, our media, our academia, our think tanks and businesses (organisations whose purpose should be to meet our needs) must serve all people and a healthy ecology.

For examples of policies that can enable this new way see examples from a Draft Manifesto for Economic Justice and for examples of the capture of our world to serve an unsustainable, corrupt and unhappy purpose see here.

But this isn’t about defining exactly what a new world would look like. Who knows how we might best function, if we were less stressed, had better information; if we were more confident and trusting?

And it isn’t necessary for us to agree on all points. Our energies are best directed where we feel passionate and where our gifts and skills are used; where we feel happiest. We know the initial steps we need to take to move in a better direction. We can move forwards with a shared, open vision, working together, to bring more people into active, hopeful engagement and to collectively resist the domination of a shadow (in our own hearts and manifest in public life). We can determinedly build together the more beautiful world our hearts know is possible.

Rising Up's parent company is called Compassionate Revolution. Find out more About Us here- our structure.